Protecting British troops from vexatious claims

Those who serve our country in Britain's Armed Forces should not be - and are not - above the law but neither should they be the subject of vexatious and false claims.

So I welcome the Second Reading today in parliament of the landmark Overseas Operation Bill which will deliver on the Conservative manifesto commitment to tackle vexatious claims against our troops serving overseas.

  • Our Armed Forces put themselves in harm’s way day in, day out, to keep our country safe – so it’s only right that we protect them from unfounded and vexatious claims. 
     
  • The Overseas Operations Bill will prevent the continued legal pursuit of our troops where there is no new evidence by making the first amendments in law to the HRA. A new five-year limit on the time in which troops can be subject to legal claims, apart from in exceptional circumstances, will help stop unfounded allegations. 
     
  • By ending the cycle of reinvestigations and vexatious claims that can plague our veterans, while ensuring victims always have access to justice, we can repay the extraordinary commitment and courage shown by the men and women who defend our nation.
  • This does not put the heroes serving in our armed forces above the law but it does put in place a measure equivalent to the "Statute of limitations" which is a familiar concept in the law of the USA and other countries to protect them from being the victims of repeated investigations on the same false charges. 


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